Our numbers are skewed here in the NYC suburbs because real estate is so ridiculously expensive--our New York house in a nice Tulsa or KC neighborhood would cost literally a quarter to a third of what we paid for it here.

That being said, different people have different priorities. We have neighbors in expensive homes who drive Hondas, VWs or Suburbans, and yet I know of someone without a huge disposable income who recently dropped $95k on a new GTR. When I was in high school in the Midwest, there were kids driving new Mustangs and Camaros (a big deal at that time and in that part of the country) who lived in the trailer park with their single parents. Also while growing up, a family across the street in our lower-middle class neighborhood unfortunately lost the father due to cancer when he was fairly young. As soon as his life insurance policy paid out, the two teenage kids immediately bought a brand-new Firebird Firehawk and Camaro.

I also get the feeling that in the image-conscious burbs of Northern Jersey, Westchester and Long Island, people are willing to shift a surprisingly large portion of their income to their cars and away from their house budgets. It's in your car that you're more often seen, after all, so that's a sure-fire way to buff your image. Probably the same in Chicago, LA, etc. Not being judgmental--it's probably just human nature to want to show off to gain acceptance.

Now that I think about it, though, there was that story in the last year or so about a guy who had lost his job and/or just went through a divorce, who then sold his house and most of his possessions in order to buy a new Lambo or Ferrari. He drove all over the country for a year, basically living out of the car. You've got to admire that kind of commitment--likely a true enthusiast.

If someone who lives where I live pays $75k for a new m3, and that is 20% of the cost of their house... well $375k gets you a hell of a house in Uniontown, PA... it is just me and my wife, so we wouldn't need something like that.. which is why my car is probably around 40%